Skipper's Military Days Episode 3 Taken
by 123cosmo4
Summary: Steak Knife managed to talk himself out of Skipper's execution plans and now has a special death planned for Skipper.
1. Chapter 1

Skipper's Military Days

Episode 3:

Sensation finally came back to Skipper. He could finally feel as if he were alive again. He tried to clear his head to what happened last night. The first thought was that he was on the shore of Clevelantis and was about to be found by Elise. No, that already happened. Where was he though? This place didn't feel comforting at all. It made him shiver uncontrollably. Now he remembered. He remembered saving those kits from Steak Knife and then telling Kowalski to leave without him. He remembered being hypnotized by Steak Knife's gentle words and how the evil psychotic penguin collected everything and… Yes, it was all coming back to him now. Steak Knife promised to hurt him, but talked so sweetly about it. Then Steak Knife collected his blood in a jar and then knocked him out. How long was he out for? He was shivering uncontrollably and knew it was from his own fear.

He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Steak Knife standing right over him. He jumped back and cowered as far to the wall as he could. He was laying in a bunk just like the ones in the Well Deserved. It was oddly comfortable. Skipper knew he was cornered and just waited for Steak Knife to do something terrible. The evil penguin was holding…a blanket. He placed it on top of Skipper. He knew what this red blanket was. It was to wrap him and suffocate him or something.

"You looked cold," Steak Knife said casually. "So I brought you a blanket. You have been out for a while."

Skipper held the blanket close and stared right into those trusting green eyes and felt…safe somehow. Based on everything that happened, it was just impossible. Not even Kowalski could find slim enough odds. He tried to treasure this moment alive and he wondered what it was like to die.

"It's morning," he continued. "About time to wake up, yes? I did you the favor of giving you _my_ bunk. It is the least I can do for such a special visitor."

Skipper's fear episode was over and he leaned closer to Steak Knife with interest. Such nice manners… So he was confused. Why exactly was Steak Knife being so nice to him? It was so confusing, but he trusted Steak Knife.

"I hope you enjoy your stay on my ship, yes? Well, come to the deck with me. Something very special has to be done."

Skipper glanced at his own blood sitting in a jar like a wonderful nick-nack and snapped out of it. He found something to grab on to and held on as tight as he could.

"No, don't do that. Just come on. Resisting won't do you any good."

Skipper would not let go. Steak Knife was going to torture him or something. He grabbed on to the bunk railing and refused to let go.

"You're trying my patience," Steak Knife pointed out not so sweetly. "I just need you to do something for me."

"No."

"Show some confidence now. You are not the same private I knew yesterday. Look me in the eye when you refuse me."

Skipper looked away, but Steak Knife grabbed his head so he was forced to look into those green eyes. He blinked once, but was already under that trusting spell he could not ignore. He felt safe now and craved more of Steak Knife's words.

"Let's go now."

Skipper instinctively let go and followed Steak Knife to the deck of the Red October. He could feel the gentle vibrations of the water waves and hear the ocean. They were moving somewhere. He felt despair when he remembered that it wasn't moving when he was captured. He had no idea where they were going. That meant Kowalski and the Time Bandit could be miles away. What if they never saw each other again? The thought was almost too much to bear.

"See that smoke up there?" Steak Knife instructed and pointed towards the smoke stack. "Well, I think it is blocked up. Usually a lot more comes out of there than that and my ship is going oddly slow. I need you to clean that out for me. Just use the pick-ax that I put by the coal storage. I would do this myself, but I am still a little battered from last night."

Skipper was surprised to see that the huge knife he stabbed completely through his right wing didn't do much damage. There was just a little dried blood and Steak Knife favored it more than the other.

"While you do that, I'm going hunting. I expect this done when I get back."

Wait a minute… The sun was dawning on a brilliant idea. Steak Knife was_ leaving_ him on an enemy ship all alone with NO supervision. Maybe Steak Knife was dumber than he looked. Skipper could easily escape. He tried to look concentrated on how to clean the smoke stacks while Steak Knife dived into the water. He waited a few minutes just to make sure Steak Knife was really gone before planning.

_Okay, Skipper. Forget about the plans. You don't know when Steak Knife will be back so it is best to cut and run while you can. Find somewhere to stay I don't care where. _

So that was the first thing Skipper did. Without thinking twice, he plunged off the Red October and swam away into the ocean.

"I want to go home," Anneleise moaned. "I'm tired of walking."

"You said you were taking us home," Chase meowed assertively to Kowalski who was walking ahead, urging them to keep up.

"I know, _I know!"_ Kowalski yelled. "I'm trying to get you home. You just be glad we rescued you from certain death."

"Why didn't Skipper come with us?" Anne wondered and ran up beside Kowalski. "We just left him."

"I don't know," he answered and sighed. "I wish I knew."

Anne got bored and lagged behind with her brother. Kowalski was a lot more worried than he let on. He wanted to find Skipper more than anything. Why did he leave Skipper alone with Steak Knife? He felt like such a traitor. What did Skipper do when he left? He remembered that fierce look of aggression in his friend's eyes as he thrust that knife into his worst enemy. It was like he wasn't even Skipper anymore. He turned so ambitious. Now Skipper was gone. Kowalski knew he couldn't take this doing nothing, but he had to take care of Elise's kits first. He couldn't take them on the Time Bandit in case Skipper needed it to escape. So they were stuck on Atlantis hiding in the shadows.

Finally Kowalski saw something parked in the water next to a rocky slope. A boat! It was smaller than the Time Bandit, but that didn't matter. That could take the kits back to Clevelantis while he searched for Skipper. There was a Pole Cat hanging around by the boat and he didn't seem to be doing much, just playing with a golden compass that hung from his neck. Kowalski couldn't trust anyone in Atlantis. It might be with the Southern Raiders and turn them in like the traitor that Elise let stay with them. He couldn't just turn down this opportunity like the others though. He had a boat. He started to scribble down some options. He didn't notice the kits run up ahead and look down the slope at the boat.

"Look!" squealed Chase. "There's somebody down there."

Kowalski shot up suddenly as the kits shot down the slope and straight for the strange Pole Cat..

"Stop!" he called after them, trying not to be too loud. "Come back."

He pursued them, but was no match for their Pole Cat speed. They reached the strange Pole Cat and jumped all around him. He watched them with surprise and didn't react for a few seconds. Kowalski was so scared that he would do something threatening, but he was relieved when he seemed delighted by the kits.

"Hello there, little kits," he purred. "Heck, where did you come from?"

_Don't say Steak Knife. Don't say Steak Knife…_

"That cliff up there," Anne answered proudly.

Kowalski sighed with relief.

"Just the two of you alone out here," he meowed.

"No. Kowalski is with us. He is coming…"

All three Pole Cats stared up the slope. Kowalski figured there was no point in hiding now and tobogganed down the hill towards the Pole Cats.

"A Doodlepopper! What you two buggers doing with a Doodlepopper?"

"I'm a penguin," Kowalski replied and brushed the dirt off his feathers. "Not a Doodlepopper. Say, is this your boat?"

"I recon it is," The Pole Cat said. "Sure a nice un."

"Do you know where Clevelantis is?"

"Oh, I get it, Doodlepopper!" He said so loudly that Kowalski flinched. "You three want a lift somewhere. You three ain't no different than any others around here."

"That's a double negative, "he pointed out.

The Pole Cat, who wasn't very bright, cocked his head. "A what?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, we really need a ride to Clevelantis."

"Sure thing," he agreed. Kowalski was so happy until he said, "What you got on you?"

Kowalski looked down at himself, but he had nothing the Pole Cat would consider valuable and neither did the kits. He had to use his abnormally intelligent brain to get out of this one. He glanced at the sand and rocks and trees and tried to think up something. He ran over and picked up a leaf and stabbed it through a stick. The Pole Cat wasn't amused.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked boredly.

"Well…No, I'm not," he replied and then though up a good lie. He was trying to scam this Pole Cat, but it was for survival so it was essential. "This is a seventeenth century fly swatter. Keep those flies away especially on hot days. They are very valuable."

"Really? He purred and picked it up. He swished it around like it was suddenly of an amazing value.

"It sure is. I…make them for a living," he lied again. "They are just so rare, but I think it might be worth a trip to Clevelantis, right?"

"Wow, I've been using these things wrong," he meowed. "If you say so, I will take you guys to Clevelantis. Nice doing business with ya."

"I'm staying," he decided, despite the fact that he really wanted to go with them. "The kits will tell you where to let them off."

"See you around then. I can treasure this for a long time yet. Along with my special compass of course."

The Pole Cat purred and looked down at the compass hanging from his neck. Kowalski didn't pay much attention to it until the Pole Cat turned around and the sunlight struck it. It flashed the most beautiful shade of gold that was so familiar. Using only instinct, he leaped on front of the Pole Cat and held the compass in his wings and just stared at it.

"Hey," the Pole Cat warned. "Off my compass. Get your own."

"I…Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"What's it to you?"

"I need to know," Kowalski replied desperately and begged like there was no tomorrow.

"I got it as a reward for fixing up a ship," he answered and seemed surprised to see Kowalski so up in his face about it. "A badly wrecked ship landed here a long time ago and I fixed it up. Some Doodlepoppers just like you rewarded me with this and then set off on their way. I pride myself on my ability to fix ships-"

"What was the name of the ship?" Kowalski shrieked and was practically groveling at the paws of the golden Pole Cat. "Please tell me!"

"Oh, dang. I forgot."

"NO!!!" Kowalski screamed and then was _literally_ groveling at its paws. Even the kits gathered with interest. None of them understood why he was so upset. The Pole Cat didn't understand that he was in possession of a very valuable compass. He would recognize that anywhere from its golden finish and cracked front. It was TJ's compass! That meant only one thing, but he had to make sure.

"Gosh, the name don't matter, Doodlepopper."

"Try to remember. REMEMBER!"

He was completely out of control. He jumped out to attack the Pole Cat while he was staring at the ocean, but the kits pulled him back and luckily, the cat didn't notice.

"What are you doing?" Anne wailed. "You're scaring me!"

Kowalski pushed them off roughly and returned to the paws of the Pole Cat. "Was it a huge freight ship?" he pressed. "A navy blue freight ship that was bombed near the stern?"

"Why…Yes. Yes it was," he meowed surely. "…I remember now! It was called the Well Disceased."

"You mean the Well Deserved!" Kowalski was so happy that he was jittering like crazy. How could this be? It had been five months since the shipwreck and he accepted the fact that he would never see the Well Deserved or his team ever again. All this time they were only about an hour away on the coast of Atlantis. They must of washed up here like they washed up at Clevelantis. "You fixed the ship so it could sail again?"

"Took a while, but I sure did. They left this old place…a few days ago."

"Where were they heading?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me. I didn't really care anyway though. I'm more interested in how that old red ship is doing. HA! I sure showed him, that old Doodlepopper."

"You fixed the Red October?" Kowalski said calmly and then began to scribble notes down. "And do you know who that belongs to?"

"Some jerk named Steak Knife," he growled with memory. "Never heard of hum, but he offered to pay me with ANIMAL PELTS! That whole rust bucket was full of them so I didn't fix that old thing. I dumped a bunch of tar down the smoke stack. That ship ain't going fast now I bet."

Kowalski couldn't believe his good fortune. He had a pretty good chance of finding his old team and the Well Deserved. He could be a private again! Also, Skipper had to be on that ship with Steak Knife, even though that was a terrible prediction. It had to be true. With the Red October plugged up, the Well Deserved could catch Steak Knife in no time. All of this would just be a terrible nightmare.

They prepared to take off. The kits were fascinated by the boat. They were very excited to get back home to Elise.

"I thought we would never go home," purred Anne. "I really hated that evil penguin."

"Well, I wasn't scared," Chase bragged, a definite lie.

They started to walk on the boat, but stopped when they realized Kowalski wasn't following them.

"Come on, Kowalski," meowed Anneleise.

Kowalski was dreading this moment, but now it was here. He tried to look into their pleading and innocent eyes and remain confident. He sighed and then said "I am not coming with you."

They were shocked by the news. "Why?" they wailed.

"Oh…" Kowalski stopped when the kits immediately hugged him like they would never let him go. "You didn't think I would stay with you forever, did you?"

"We did," cried Anne. "Why are you leaving us?"

"Skipper and I have to serve our country," he explained. "We are soldiers, remember? We have to keep the world safe for kits like you. We need to keep villains like Steak Knife under control."

"Be safe," Anne meowed bravely. "I hope you catch him. He pulled my tail."

"Will we ever see you again?" whined Chase.

"No," he answered and stared out over the ocean. "You probably won't. Just promise me something. Always do the right thing."

They were too young to really understand what he meant and they didn't think of last night. "Sure," they answered. "We will."

Kowalski never thought saying good-bye could be so hard. He watched the kits step on to the boat and the other Pole Cat followed. The ship slowly began to pull away. Kowalski waved to them, wondering if he ever would see them again. This was how Elise probably felt when her foster kits left like this. He left behind his life of happiness, but he knew he did the right thing.


	2. Chapter 2 Steak Knife's Weakness

Chapter 2- Steak Knife's Weakness

(This story may contain material that is disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.)

"This…blasted…tar!" With every pause Steak Knife hacked at the tar blocking up the smoke stack. It was doing, dare I say it, a crud of good. The tar was so hard that not even he could remove it. When he ordered Skipper to do this, he actually expected it to be full of access build-up, not solid tar. He was so mad that he was taking it all out on the tar. The whole insides were caked with it and his ship wouldn't go fast at all, only as fast as a little fishing boat, not a war ship.

Steak Knife struck the pick-ax at the tar so hard that it broke free and fell to the bottom. A second afterward a wave of black smoke shot out from the top and blew all over him, turning him blacker. He growled with rage and kept working.

Skipper's plan didn't work out that well. He left the Red October and then realized that he shouldn't have underestimated Steak Knife. They were in the middle of nowhere so he had to turn back before drowning. He got back and tried to get working before Steak Knife got back and he pulled it off. So much for escaping. Now the two of them were picking tar out of the smoke stack. He wasn't sure how tar got in there. Then again, nothing would surprise him. This ship was a rust bucket. It was so old that every scrap on it was rusted and old. It was a war ship probably from centuries ago. He got plenty of time to explore the ship and it was so old fashioned. Steak Knife didn't own anything that presented the now. There were a lot of better ships out there and he wondered why Steak Knife still had this old scrap heap. Certainly this tar was its killing bite. Since he was on the bottom and Steak Knife was on the top, a safe distance away, he decided to ask.

"Hey!" he called. "We have been at this for hours! Why don't you just get a better ship?"

"NEVER!" Steak Knife growled. "Getting rid of the Red October would be like throwing away family!"

Skipper was trying to learn as much as he could about this strange villain and maybe talking about this ship could get Steak Knife to open up more on his personal and sensitive side.

"But it's just a ship!" he continued. "Why does it matter?"

"This ship has been in my family tree for five generations. This ship was considered old when it bombed the German ships in World War I. I will never abandon it."

This was interesting. Steak Knife was so hateful, yet he did like something: a ship. Apparently he was so attached to this ship probably because he had no one else to care about. What a terrible existence.

"So why is there tar in your ship?" Skipper asked curiously.

"Don't ask," Steak Knife growled and stuck down the ax again. Some tar fell down and Skipper quickly cleared it away. So that was something. He had to learn more though.

"Skipper, turn the ship around."

Skipper wasn't sure if he heard that right. Steak Knife wanted_ him_ to steer a ship? That couldn't possibly be right.

"But that's the way we came!" he protested. "And I don't know how!"

"Just pull down the levers to stop the propellers and then turn the wheel."

Skipper went to the controls without question. He was so tired of this and wanted to go home already. It had been one night and almost one day on this ship. Where on earth was Kowalski? Was Kowalski out looking for him? Skipper had full faith that he was. That was why he pretended to pick at the tar even though he wasn't really helping. This dilemma caused their traveling to slow down dramatically so even s small fishing boat like the Time Bandit could catch it. A fishing boat couldn't catch a war ship without lots of help. This was making things even better. For some unknown reason, they were going back the way they came, to the direction of Atlantis even though they were hours away from there. He didn't question it and turned the ship back south.

Steak Knife could sense Skipper's surprise when he ordered the command to turn the ship around. He clearly didn't understand why he was going back to Atlantis. He was smart not to question it though. Steak Knife really wished he would of saw this tar sooner before it dried. Almost the whole way back he picked it out until he got about half of it and the ship shot out more smoke with approval. At least his precious ship was okay. He couldn't believe that Skipper suggested throwing away the Red October like it was nothing at all. That was pure treason. Now he just stood on top of the smoke stack and stared at the water as the ship brushed it aside, making waves. He could sense Atlantis getting nearer and they were getting there. He had unfinished business to do there and took until late that day for him to realize it. It was getting dark and he hadn't slept decently in days or ate a single bite all day. He felt as strong as ever though because he had a mission to do that mattered more than anything to him and it had to be done.

The Red October drifted into shallower waters until the bottom scraped the ground, making the ship stop dramatically. Skipper quickly grabbed on to the mast as he was almost thrown forward. The ship stopped dramatically until it stopped about a quarter mile from the shore. Skipper's muscles tensed and he felt sick. This was the moment he had waited two whole hours for. They were back at Atlantis. Clevelantis was so close that he could feel the familiar winds of home just coming to lead him there. They were so close and now he had an option to run for it. He had to bolt as soon as he could and say good-bye to Steak Knife and the rust bucket Red October. He ran to the deck and was about to jump off when Steak Knife quickly grabbed him.

"Going somewhere, yes?" he said nicely. "I can see you want to get on land, but I think we will have to put that off a while, yes? I have something to do here and I don't think you should come with me."

Skipper just silently nodded and stood still as a statue.

"You certainly wouldn't leave my ship when I'm gone, would you?" he asked coolly. "Would you try to leave me here?"

"I…yes," Skipper whimpered.

"I like honesty. It says a lot about someone. I am being honest too when I say you are not leaving this ship when I'm gone."

Skipper stared into Steak Knife's green eyes and the inside freedom fire to escape was gone. He no longer wanted to leave the ship and escape for some reason. All he wanted to do was do whatever made Steak Knife happy. He tried to resist, but it was an unstoppable force.

"Stay here until I return," he instructed. "You will not be triggered with thoughts of escape. Instead, you will only think about how much of a favor you are doing me by not coming along. You are a brave little soldier, but you don't want to come with me. You want to stay on my ship." Skipper was still transfixed and didn't even blink. "I know you wouldn't lie to me so I will ask you again. Will you leave my ship when I'm gone?"

Skipper tried to think about it. His heart rate quickened when he thought of pleasing Steak Knife. He tried to think of Kowalski out there looking for him, but for some reason he just didn't care. Every thought he thought about background knowledge was so fuzzy he couldn't even consider it. The only way out of this fuzzy vision was to stop staring at the ground and seek the answers in Steak Knife's eyes and that was exactly what he did.

"I'll stay," he promised.

Without even thinking, he saluted Steak Knife and walked right inside the ship like a windup toy. Steak Knife smiled slyly to himself and then disappeared down the ladder. Skipper didn't even notice that one old sword from the collection was missing.

Back in the ship, Skipper didn't know what to do. He lied down in bed for half an hour before he got stir crazy and had to move around. He realized that he never explored the ship before and certainly Steak Knife wouldn't mind if her took a look around. He went out into the hallway and just stared at the things on the wall. There were the heads of animals he had never seen before all nicely spaced out. He wondered exactly why Steak Knife killed them all and just moved on. He never explored the inside of the ship before. He had only been in the hallway and the bedroom. He turned right instead of left and headed to a door. He went inside and saw a very strange room that just made him stare. It was worse than everything on the ship put together. There were taxidermy animals everywhere, two giant dog-like things guarding the entrance. They looked so real that he reached out and touched one of their stone cold heads. Underneath their fur was just a bunch of hard stuff. All those dead animals just stared at him like he was trespassing into a terrible place. It was terrible.

What really caught his interest was the wooden animals in the back that Steak Knife was still in progress with. There were wood chips all over the floor so he checked it out. It was a wooden carving of an animal. It looked like a Pole Cat so far even though it was roughly done. He could just make out its figure in the splintery wood. There was a collection of knives lined up by it that all had wood chips on it. Steak Knife carved this? It was just so nice. He stared at its head and saw a blue background that wasn't part of it. He looked up and saw the most beautiful bird be had ever seen on the wall. He slowly walked away from the wooden Pole Cat and stared at the bird. It was in mid-flight and had striking dark blue feathers. Its wings were so huge that it could carry the bird gracefully off the ground without a problem. It had tail feathers that were longer than itself and were a variety of colors: Green, purple, violet, green, oranges, yellows, and pinks. He touched it and they were so soft. He petted the bird and kept feeling its soft feathers under his wings. He sensed a strong feeling of betrayal and now he wondered exactly what he was doing here. Steak Knife unfairly killed this beautiful animal just to hang it on the wall. Now it was all coming back. Skipper stayed here only because Steak Knife wanted him too. This time when he thought of Kowalski and the others and this terrible place he wanted to _leave._ He felt like slapping himself for being so stupid. Here was his golden opportunity to escape and he wasted it. It took a good look at this rainbow bird to realize that he was in danger and had to leave. He had to go now.

Then a shadow appeared over the bird be was looking at and his spine chilled. Steak Knife had returned. He was frozen in place. He didn't want to show Steak Knife that he was suddenly afraid. He could also sense a cold feeling in the air.

The feeling of death.

Ever so slowly, Skipper slowly turned around and saw Steak Knife had returned and all of his white feathers were slicked down with red. His eyes trailed down to what he brought home and saw the bloody limp body of a golden spotted Pole Cat.

Steak Knife usually loved to see fear more than anything, but when Skipper gasped and threw his back to the wall, blue eyes glared with fear, he walked right on past dragging his prize. The Pole Cat put up a big fight, but this was nothing compared to other animals that he took on. He was so tired that he felt like collapsing and he limped slightly from where the Pole Cat scratched him. That was nothing though. Just three more memories to add to his collection of permanent memories. He put down the Pole Cat and spread out its body flat on the floor. Its eyes were glazed with fury and its fangs were bared. Its body was just beginning to turn cold. Now the Pole Cat got what it deserved for tarring his ship.

Steak Knife seemed very distracted with the Pole Cat so Skipper thought now would be best to run away as fast as he could. Maybe he could get away. This was just too horrible. He could have been half way to Clevelantis by now, but now it wasn't olive green eyes that kept him in place. It was the furious amber eyes of the Pole Cat. Something seemed familiar about that cat though even though he never met it. He took a step closer and then stopped. Steak Knife was…_talking_ to it? He strained to listen and then heard that he was definitely talking to the cat while stroking its head. He couldn't hear any exact words though. He felt more secure to see how distracted and troubled Steak Knife was so he dropped down beside the Pole Cat and touched its soft fur.

"You're in my room, yes?" Steak Knife asked dully without looking up. "I know why too. You are looking at my things and wondering why I have all these things."

"…It was such a beautiful creature," Skipper said and stroked the golden cat. "What I don't understand is why. We came all the way back here just so you can kill this cat. Do you know it?"

"Of course I do. This was the Pole Cat that put tar all over my ship," he answered more aggressively. "And now I got my revenge…"

They said nothing for a while. Skipper tensed up, ready to run to the door if he was forced out. Steak Knife pulled the Pole Cat on to the table that the wooden Pole Cat was on. Now he understood what it was for. It was the taxidermy body of the Pole Cat that he was making. It must of taken days to do this and Steak Knife must of planned to get revenge on that particular Pole Cat for a long time. Steak Knife picked up a smaller knife and started to carve around the wooden head to make the ears more detailed.

"Why is this ship covered in so many…items?" Skipper wondered and came a little closer. "I mean, you have pelts and other things from animals all over."

"I need them. Everyone has a hobby that passes the time…Keeps them entertained, yes? And yours is crowding my work space."

"This isn't a hobby. It's like an obsession. I mean, I used to collect snowflakes. Every time I found a cool one I would take it home, but they weren't my life. I mean, don't you think it is a little strange to come all this way just for a Pole Cat. I don't mean this in any offense, but why do you need them?"

"I will not let anyone get away offending me," he replied fiercely and almost snipped the ear off. He realized how worked up he was getting over one conversation. It was very unlike him so he calmed down again with breathing exercises. "Every possession I have from my animals is a memory so I can always remember what they did to insult or assault me. Memories are about the only thing I can rely on these days."

"I see," Skipper said. "Well, I think I am starting to understand you more. I think you love your ship so much because it is the only thing to feel close to. You don't have any friends or anyone that didn't want to attack you."

Steak Knife was trembling so much that he had to stop carving before he messed up everything. Skipper was absolutely right. As much has he wanted to deny it, that was why he never got a new ship and he kept the pelts, blood, fangs, or claws of every animals that ever did anything bad to him. It was almost too much to control and knowing these words came from Skipper made him want to do something terrible. He found comfort by imagining himself attacking Skipper. The thought seemed to be the only way out of this and he clutched the knife he was holding tightly. He had to stop himself before he actually did it though. He quickly put down the knife and backed away from the table. He went as far away from Skipper as possible and put the table between them.

"What's wrong?" Skipper asked fearfully.

"It's just what you said right then," he answered honestly. "And you're right. You are the only living thing that has actually saw things from my point of view instead of seeing me by what I do."

Skipper was starting to feel hopeful and that maybe he would get out of this alive. This was a huge breakthrough for Steak Knife to tell him this. Maybe he wouldn't end up dying after all. Anyway, he never did anything to make Steak Knife vengeful.

"I never did anything, so why are you keeping me here?" he wondered.

"Because you are part of TJ's military," Steak Knife pointed out. "I can't have you going anywhere for special reasons. Believe me, I don't want to do anything to you, but TJ owes me something. I need you for that. I am taking you to the Andes mountains."

"W-why? What am I getting you?"

"Military plans," he answered darkly. "So I can get through with my plan without any problems, yes? If I don't get them, then we will have to do things the hard way. I made something for you."

Skipper watched curiously as Steak Knife rummaged among the piles of junk. He picked up a green spiky pine tree something and held it up. Skipper jumped back and stared at it with horror. What he was holding was far worse than the dead Pole Cat laying limply on the table. It was a wreath with a giant red bow tied neatly at the top. Red bow-tied wreaths were given to soldiers when they died.

Steak Knife was going to kill him when they reached their destination. What if Steak Knife didn't get the military plans? He would be just another pelt on the ship.


	3. Chapter 3Surviving the Andes

Chapter 3- Surviving the Andes

A few days had passed since Kowalski left the kits forever. He was on his way to who knows where in the Time Bandit. He never knew that Pole Cat could have such valuable information. He heard that the Well Deserved and the team he trained with almost his whole life was sailing the ocean and heading north. Maybe they were tracking down Skipper and Steak Knife. That was their mission for many months so they wouldn't give it up now. The Well Deserved was a freight ship and the possibility of catching it was 67.825 to one, but he had to try. It was a screwball idea, but he was sailing north in search of them in a fishing boat and no sense of where he was.

Kowalski stared ahead and thought about how far land was away. Two whole days of sailing were making him very impatient. The boat traveled about twelve miles per hour on an average and he went for 52 straight hours. He was on day _three._

"You will probably catch them," he assured himself. There was no one else to talk to. "The Well Deserved drop anchor every night and they sleep for an average of seven to eight hours a night and I have been going on for days. They also go about twice as fast as me so… I don't know!"

Kowalski saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look. There was a little dot on the horizon. What on earth was it? It reminded him of that thing he saw just before the Well Deserved was bombed. It was…a ship! That was a pretty big dot…It had to be the Well Deserved! Without thinking he put the boat as fast as it would go and headed towards the ship. After all this time he would reunite with his team. What would they say when they saw him? It took minutes, but he finally was getting a little closer. He could just make out the ship's smoke stacks and other details. That was it. It was getting closer.

They were still going without stopping. Maybe they didn't see him down there. He never looked for a horn on the Time Bandit, but he needed one now more than ever. He was so close that he could read the Well Deserved label, but now that he intercepted them, it was getting away quickly. Finally he saw a bell. He grabbed the string and hung from it so his weight made the bell ring so loud that it pierced the air. He kept ringing it until the propellers of the huge freight ship slowed down. It slowed down dramatically until he pulled along side it. The boat was so small next to the ship that it looked like a little bath toy next to the ship. He ran to the deck so they would see him. Finally, he saw someone peer over the rail. He would recognize that one-eyed stare from anywhere. Lieutenant Austin looked down at him and they just stared at each other for a while. Next to him appeared the dark blue and white penguin, TJ. This was too great. He finally made it! He just watched them impatiently and waited for them to say something.

"It appears to be a local," TJ said to Austin. "We must be near land."

"I don't know. Should we ask it for directions or something?" Austin pressed.

"Not sure. I think it was flagging us down. Perhaps we should…"

Kowalski wouldn't believe it. He imagined this reunion in his head and imagined both of them being so happy to see him. Instead they didn't even know who he was.

"Guys ,it's me!" he called. "Kowalski!"

They looked at each other like they never heard that name before in their lives. Kowalski had to look closer just to make sure they were the right penguins. Yes, they definitely were. He waved at them and they still seemed confused. Well, there was only one other way for them to know for sure. He quickly pulled out a his notebook and started to write down a math problem.

"Kowalski!" TJ exclaimed. "It is Kowalski! Secure that boat."

TJ shoved Austin away to get some rope. He returned back and both of them tried to unravel the rope. Then it slowly inched down so Kowalski could grab it. He snatched it up and tied a huge giant knot on the railing. Then he pounced on the rope and climbed up the side of the Well Deserved. The moment he reached the top he was practically eaten alive by TJ and Austin.

"Kowalski, you came back!" TJ cheered. "We thought we would never see you again. It has been about half a year!"

"I thought I wouldn't see you again either," he said brightly. "Well, if there is 30 to 31 days per month then multiply it…"

"Yep, that's Kowalski alright," Austin added. "So, where have you been all this time?"

"Clevelantis! I met this Pole Cat a few days ago that said he fixed the Well Deserved. So I went after you guys."

"Great. So…" Kowalski searched the deck for the others. "Where is everybody?"

"Austin and TJ exchanged glances before TJ said, "We really don't know. We haven't seen them since the shipwreck. It's just the three of us. I assume you don't know where Skipper is."

"I have some very important news to tell you," he answered dramatically.

Kowalski like being the center of attention of such an important story. He started with the beginning about being found by Elise and stayed with her family. He made sure to include that he was NOT off duty and trained that whole time. Then he skipped the happy life and went all the way to the war with Clevelantis. Things started getting exciting when he reached the rising action of the story. This was the part he couldn't wait to say.

"Did you guys find out anything about the Southern Raiders?" he asked before continuing.

"Um…Unfortunately, we have not. It has been so long since we last saw them and we have no idea where they are."

"I do," he replied. "Elise came back one day and gave us a personal note. It was written by Steak Knife himself and he was threatening us to go to the Northern entrance of Atlantis and give him military plans that tell where all the military agents are. We of course didn't know where, so-"

"Wait a minute." TJ shook him by the shoulders. 'YOU got a letter from Steak Knife. He was in Atlantis all that time?"

"Yes. We weren't going to go, but we had to. While we thought up a plan, Steak Knife stole Elise's kits and brought them to Atlantis so we had to go. We took this here fishing boat to Atlantis and we found the Red October parked there. We went on a mission and went in the ship to save them. Apparently, there is only one Southern Raider. I am not sure why, but only Steak Knife was there. We never found out why. We got there at midnight right when he was about to execute the kits with broad swords. It was so terrifying."

"Is the ship still covered in pelts?" TJ wondered.

"Yes. It was terrible. I will not lie, Skipper deserves all the credit. We were hanging from the lights up above and I was too scared to do anything. Steak Knife almost…did it but Skipper pinned him to the wall with a knife and then I took the kits away. I couldn't get Skipper to follow me. He was going to…do something terrible and he told me I shouldn't be in the room. So I left with the kits and that was the last time we ever saw each other."

They stared at Kowalski, frozen in place. They seemed like they couldn't believe that Skipper, who was only a private for one day, could do all that.

"So what do you think happened to them?" TJ pressed.

"I think something terrible happened to Skipper. I met that Pole Cat that fixed the Well Deserved and he said that he was supposed to fix the Red October. Instead, he filled it with tar so I don't know where they are now."

"Hmm…" TJ thought carefully. "Well, I think that we should locate this _Red October_ and see exactly where it is. Say, Kowalski, can you drive a ship A ship like the Well Deserved perhaps?"

"You what?" he shrieked. "I CAN'T DRIVE A SHIP! Just get Dave to…" Right. NO more Dave. "Fine, I will try. Where are we going?"

"If Steak Knife did get out of that situation, he is heading north and that means he will be at the Andes mountains. We need to head there and then see how things are. We are almost there."

It felt nice to be back with the crew. Kowalski felt like he was truly at home again. Every moment there though he questioned himself if he was doing the right thing. He could of just simply stayed at Clevelantis and never live another worry for the rest of his life, but it just wasn't a family without Skipper. Now his chance of finding them were even greater with a ship and a crew. Being very intelligent, he figured out how to control the ship by writing down notes and learning from memory. He wondered how TJ and Austin even survived without Dave. They knew about nothing when it came to driving it. Kowalski managed to get it running good.

Finally, he could see land coming into view. The first thing he saw was mountains. Oh NO! They went backwards and were now back at Atlantis. How could that be? He checked the compass built in the ship and it confirmed that they were going north. This couldn't be Atlantis or else they would be going south. This was a new landmark. He couldn't believe he made it this far in just a fishing boat. According to the world map on the wall, Atlantis was probably somewhere halfway between Antarctica and South America. This must be South America.

"All we have to do it wait," TJ said when Kowalski confirmed their location. "If Steak Knife is coming, we will meet him here."

Days passed on the Red October and every day was like a burden. Skipper always thought dying would be scary, but it was even worse when he knew exactly how close he was to it. The waiting, thinking about death, was worse than any torture Steak Knife could do to him. He spent no time sleeping or doing anything besides standing on the bow of the ship and looking ahead. He did that all day for three days, eating nothing and sleeping not at all. Every minute was torture. Now that they were nearing land, Steak Knife watched him constantly so he couldn't get away. Life was ending. He looked down at the water and thought about how at least he had a good life even though it was a short one.

"Well, Skipper, there they are," Steak Knife introduced and pointed to the mountains appearing on the horizon. "They are just beautiful, yes?"

Skipper didn't answer. He just stared at the mountains expressionless. He was paralyzed with fear, but after staring at awaiting death for so long he just didn't have the energy to freak out. At least Steak Knife didn't get the pleasure of scaring him anymore.

They got closer and closer until the Andes were so detailed that he could truly see them. They weren't like the mountains bordering Atlantis. They were so tall that they reached into the sky and snow covered them. It was warmer this far up north, but the mountain peaks were so high up they were cold. NO wonder there was a military base here. He wasn't the type that gave up that easily so he thought on the positive side. Maybe they would hike right into a military base and he would be rescued. Skipper was pretty sure Kowalski couldn't help even if he did make it here.

_Skipper!_

Kowalski was so relieved when he saw Skipper step off of the Red October. All those days not knowing if he was alive or not were stressful and now he knew Skipper as alive. He saw Skipper mope along, carrying a whole load of dynamite. He was staring at the ground and lagging behind Steak Knife. He obviously thought there was no help left in the world for him. Kowalski almost jumped out of his hiding spot, but TJ yanked him down and slapped him.

"You're going to give us away, soldier," hissed TJ. "We can't expose ourselves until we know exactly what Steak Knife is doing."

The three of them were watching from a cliff behind a huge rock. They were going to rescue Skipper alright. All of them wondered why they were carrying dynamite. They trekked higher and higher up the mountain. The three of them dived down and huddled there silently as Steak Knife got closer. Kowalski trembled with the anxiety of being discovered. Steak Knife stopped for a moment, but moved on thinking it was nothing. Then they could hear the slow and depressed footsteps of Skipper. Kowalski knew that by now Steak Knife had to be farther up ahead. He had to tell Skipper about their escape plan. He couldn't stand to see his brave and strong-willed best friend in such a state. TJ and Austin were too distracted to watch him so be peaked out from behind the rock.

"Skipper," he whispered.

Skipper stopped in place and turned around suddenly. He looked overwhelmed to see Kowalski standing up there, but he didn't say anything.

"Are you going to rescue me?" Skipper asked faintly. "You have to. Steak Knife is going to blow up the whole Andes and me." He looked down at the bombs he was carrying with despair.

"Follow Steak Knife," Kowalski said and disappeared behind the rock. "TJ and Austin are with me. We are going to-"

"Falling behind, yes?" Steak Knife called and stopped. "It's best just to keep up and accept your fate with dignity." Skipper quickly tried to look all depressed and returned to Steak Knife. "It is hard to accept death when it awaits, but it is better to accept things as they are and know that nothing will change that."

Skipper said nothing. He glanced back at the rock and could see Kowalski glancing out. He tried to go at a continuing moping pace. How on earth did Kowalski find TJ and Austin? That was like a hallucination or something. They had been gone so long and now they arrived on his darkest hour. He knew for sure that Steak Knife didn't stand a chance against the four of them. Things could finally return to normal.

Steak Knife finally took Skipper to the near top of a mountain before stopping by a cave entrance. Skipper looked down at the other snowy mountains and the foggy air. Hopefully that wouldn't be his last sight. Steak Knife led the way inside. It was just a small cave miles away from the military base, but these bombs were powerful enough to wipe out everything. Steak Knife grabbed Skipper's wreath from the bombs he was carrying and looked it over.

"Unfortunately, I really don't think your team will rescue you so late in time," he pointed out. "Anyway, we can't change fate, yes? Now, these bombs will not destroy the military base for a while. Only one will go off. This little dandy right here actually."

Steak Knife pushed Skipper to the ground and then made him hold two red sticks wrapped in wires. It was so dangerous that he was shaking just to hold it.

"If you blow this up, won't the others go off too?" He tried another desperate attempt to save himself.

"Nope. Only I can set off the bombs at its main power source. What you don't know is I am putting bomb storages everywhere I go. This is just one of the many. When the time is right, I will let them off. That little bomb your holding will go off will go off in…" He pressed a combination of buttons and then pressed enter. To Skipper's horror, a clock appeared on it. Thirty minutes and it was going down by the second. Where were Kowalski and the rescue party? In only half an hour he would be blown off the face of the earth.

There was a shadow outside and then there was a flash of blue and white. Skipper dropped the bomb and pressed himself against the wall. TJ bowled into Steak Knife's side and threw him to the ground. Steak Knife rolled up backwards and tossed off TJ who just bounced off the wall and returned. Steak Knife just rolled to the side and pounced on TJ in the air. Skipper silently cheered for TJ along with the others who stood there, wondering if they should interfere.

TJ was doing all the attacks while Steak Knife would just wait and watch. He would jump away lightly and pummel TJ in his landings until he was a little light headed. He was about to jump on the unsuspecting TJ, but Austin and Kowalski sprang to the aid of their leader. Steak Knife was a little overwhelmed and waited for them to attack. Austin and TJ stood by each other and attacked from two different sides. Steak Knife dodged Austin, but was intercepted by TJ. He squirmed and wriggled and managed to loosen himself, but before he could escape he was attacked by the privates. Skipper needed this revenge, even if he was probably no match for Steak Knife. He effortlessly threw off Kowalski and Skipper and then tobogganed to the entrance to think. He looked at the four of them in turn and sized up the competition. He knew that he couldn't take on the four of them without serious injuries or the failure of all his plans….But, there was another way to get rid of them. Why didn't he think of it before? He glanced up at the cave entrance and then had an idea.

Skipper thought for sure Steak Knife was going to retreat, but he didn't. He just stood there like he had a master plan and then slouched against the wall.

'It's amazing how fate controls itself," he said casually and glanced straight at Skipper. "You think one thing might happen and then it just changes. The tables have turned."

"You're not talking yourself out of this one," Skipper threatened.

'Definitely not," TJ agreed.

"I don't plan to. My plans are working better than I thought. When you die, just remember, especially you, Skipper. Breathe deeply and relax. Think about your approaching death and accept it."

Then Steak Knife raised his left wing and looked at them evily.

"What are you doing?" TJ demanded, frozen by fear.

Then Steak Knife tapped under the loose boulder holding up the entrance and waved farewell to the four of them. The ground began to rumble and the entrance began to shake. Steak Knife turned around and disappeared down the mountain. All of a sudden rocks rained like rain down from the entrance. The rocks piled on top of each other and in a split second, the whole thing was buried in rocks and snow. When the avalanche stopped, they all realized that death was nearer than they thought.

The bomb would go off in twenty five minutes and they were trapped in a cave with no way out.


	4. Chapter 4 Memory Lane

Chapter 4- Memory Lane

"Judging by the density of these rocks and the 8.825 yards it spans over them, if we dig at an average rate of one foot per minute then we can maybe get out in time," Kowalski confirmed. "I am not exactly sure though."

"I can't believe we were so stupid," TJ moped. "This was completely my fault. I take full responsibility for what has happened here."

"But it's all my fault," Skipper insisted. "I shouldn't of let Steak Knife set that bomb."

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is," Lieutenant Austin argued. "Come on."

The beeping of the bomb made them snap out of blaming each other and they tried to move the rocks. They tunneled at the rocks and barely got anywhere, but their time would be up in twenty five minutes. They were getting nowhere.

"So this is how it's going to end," Kowalski said depressingly. "At least I think I lived a full life."

"Yeah, I think I might of too," Skipper agreed. "Steak Knife has prepared me for death for two days now. Just breathe deeply and think about your life as you live it."

"This isn't playtime in the snowdrifts, privates," Austin said sharply. "Dig for your lives."

They continued digging, but Kowalski knew that there was no point. They couldn't get through this avalanche. He lied about the calculations saying maybe, there was no possible way they could get out. They had to find some other way. He studied the boulder mountain and then saw a little shaft of light near the top. It was so small, but a little light shown in. He jumped up the rocks and to the top where he looked at the light. It was only about as big as his head. He tried to stick his head out, but it was too small. He felt the outer edges, but the rocks were so heavy there was no way he could move them. He thought he could just move the rubble aside, but it HAD to be made of solid rock. He kept staring at it and then listened to the bomb ticking with every passing second. He was the thinnest of the penguins and stuck his head inside. It was quite a squeeze, but he kept pushing until his shoulders got stuck and he was so compressed against the wall he couldn't move.

"Kowalski, what are you doing up there?" Skipper called.

"I'm stuck," Kowalski replied.

"What?"

"I said I'm stuck!"

"…What?"

"I'M STUCK!!!"

"I'll help!"

Skipper jumped up the rocks and then studied the situation. Kowalski was wedged in a boulder and was squished flat.

"Push me," Kowalski's muffled voice said. "Try it!"

Skipper shrugged. If he was going to die, he wanted to die doing something memorable. He pushed and pushed and Kowalski move forward a little bit. He edged forward until he popped out the other side.

"Kowalski!" he exclaimed. "You got out! I'm coming out too!"

"You're too big around," he protested. "Um, I'll try to do something."

Kowalski couldn't hear the beeping, but time was running out. What could he do out here that he couldn't do in here?

_Think, Kowalski, think. What would you normally do in a situation like this?... I know! I will make an invention!_

Kowalski started to scribble down blueprints for the invention while Skipper watched helplessly from inside. Kowalski needed an invention that would move the rocks with more force than a penguin. He needed a lever. HE could apply force to it and it would dislodge the rock keeping them inside. First, he needed a long stick of some sort. There were no trees out here so he needed something else like… a stalagmite!

He ordered Skipper to fetch him a stalagmite. Skipper just blinked with confusion and then went to find one. He returned with a sharp rock stalagmite. Kowalski tossed it up and down to test its density. It was perfect. Now he needed an applied force like… Oh, duh, a rock! All he needed was a rock to drop on it. He stabbed the stalagmite's sharp end under the rock clogging up the entrance and then climbed up the wall. There were plenty of rocks. He pushed at one of them. It rolled slightly. He kept pushing until it tumbled off the edge of the cliff and landed right on the stalagmite. The force of the rock popped up the rock and broke the stalagmite. The entrance grew as the rock lifted and Skipper squeezed out. TJ and Austin followed and the four of them were safe. Steak Knife was right. Even though the odds were against them, fate controlled itself and this happened.

"Yes!" Skipper raised a flipper for TJ to high five it. He just let Skipper hang there frozen in the air and didn't react.

"Uh…"  
Skipper rolled his eyes. "None of you seem to get it. It's a high five. You're supposed to slap me back."

"We're not in the clear yet," he said seriously. "We have to get out of here or the bomb will still explode us. Move out, team. Back to the Well Deserved."

Sliding on their tummies, they slid down the mountain like sleds. The trip down was so much easier because they could just slide. They built so much speed until they were rolling right down the mountain. They made it down in no time flat. From the bottom of the mountain they could see the outline of the Well Deserved through the mountain fog. There was no sign of the Red October or Steak Knife. He must of already left to their misfortune. They had been tracking him down all over the world and right when they had him, he was gone again. They would have to continue their search until they got him.

The Well Deserved was just like it was a whole lifetime ago. Kowalski gave him the "Well, what do you think?" look and he just looked at it with a satisfied expression. There was the mast that he and Kowalski carried cinder blocks up when they were small. The deck was still as long as he remembered it, and it was still just as amazing as it once was. There was not a single animal's pelt in sight and it felt good to be home.

"Well, that Pole Cat did a good job at fixing it, didn't he?" Kowalski said brightly. "This was worth a golden compass I suppose, eh TJ?"

"That compass didn't mean that much to me anyway," replied TJ, even though he obviously missed it. "That's all it took to get a great ship back."

Skipper froze. "Wait. What did you say?"

"Maybe you should listen better. I said that I gave a golden Pole Cat my compass to fix my ship."

"He took the kits back home too," added Kowalski. "I hope they are safe with Elise."

"Oh."

"Something wrong, Skipper?" Kowalski pursued.

The others watched him curiously. He knew exactly who they were talking about. He remembered that one day snooping through Steak Knife's stuff when he came back limping and coated in blood, dragging the limp body of the Pole Cat. Steak Knife took off its beautiful, yet familiar, compass and hung it as a trophy like everything else on the ship. He decided to press information before spoiling the moment.

"So the kits are safe, Kowalski?" he confirmed. "That's good. Did that Pole Cat by chance… fill Steak Knife's ship with tar?"

"Yes, he did," Kowalski answered proudly. "At least he probably slowed down Steak Knife so we can catch him easily."

"I had to pick the tar out of that ship," he said lightly and then darkened again. "And then Steak Knife made me drive the ship to Atlantis. He hypnotized me to stay on the ship and I did. I will explain the whole story later. He came back with a dead golden Pole Cat with your compass, TJ. Steak Knife is obsessed with revenge."

"That's too bad," TJ commented and stared at the ground. "He was a great service to the military. I want all of you to know now, Steak Knife won't stop at anything to get revenge."

The Captain and the Lieutenant pressed Skipper for all the details on his imprisonment, but Kowalski pulled him away like he was the one who got access to the famous celebrity.

"Back off the questions, guys," he said importantly. "According to my other calculations, land is straight east if we travel north. Steak Knife is leaving by ship so we need to follow. Our ship is by far much faster than that old scrap heap so we should be able to catch it. We need to leave as soon as possible. Then we can get to the details. I guess I'll go-"

"No, you have been working too hard," TJ insisted. "You don't need to drive the ship there. I can just put it on autopilot."

Kowalski just stared. "Autopilot? You mean…all this time… there was an autopilot."

"We can only use autopilot if we have a set destination," TJ replied. "And I think we are going to Ecuador. Besides, I am going to promote you."

"Promotion," they repeated with excitement.

"They are too young to be soldiers," argued Austin.

"Well, they have done much more than the average private could possibly do," TJ complimented them so they stood up straighter. "Kowalski, you have really impressed me. From the beginning, I thought you and that notebook wouldn't even make it past level one. Well, you have proved in no time flat that when greatness is trust upon you, you can handle it."

"Um…thank you?" Kowalski remarked.

"So from this moment on, you two are no longer privates," TJ announced and saluted them. "You two are honorary soldiers of the military."

Skipper and Kowalski saluted TJ and felt very proud. All this training to become soldiers and now this was finally happening. They were just as highly ranked as the others before they disappeared. That meant no more drills, training, and being the lowest rank of the military. Now that the four of them were an unstoppable force, Steak Knife couldn't get away.


End file.
